Games to Blame?

Keevan_Colton · Post by **Keevan_Colton** » 2003-09-04 08:15am

I just had to share this absolute gem I came across on another board....I decided on here rather than G&C since....really this shit has fuck all to do with games and that's the point...

EverQuest and Grand Theft Auto are implicated in deaths in Arkansas and Tennessee.

The Morning News of Northwest Arkansas recently reported that a 36-year-old mother neglected her 3-year-old daughter while playing EverQuest for several hours, resulting in the child's death.

The child was allegedly left in a car without ventilation.
Mary Christina Cordell faces felony manslaughter charges, according to a Springdale, Arkansas, police spokesman. A Springdale police detective stated, "We believe that on the day in question, Ms. Cordell was playing an Internet game, EverQuest, for a period of time exceeding two hours, during which she had no knowledge concerning the whereabouts of her daughter."
According to NWAOnline.net, messages posted to a site run by a group called Spouses Against EverQuest under Mary Christina Cordell's name suggested that the game was "addictive" and was in part responsible for her divorce: "I feel sorry that people get wrapped up into this and destroy their relationships. I just hope that one day they will wake up before it's too late and realize they are alone with no real friends and their family is gone."
Also, an Associated Press report today states that two teenage stepbrothers, ages 16 and 13, from Newport, Tennessee, told police they were imitating Grand Theft Auto when they fired a .22-caliber rifle up to 25 times at vehicles along Interstate 40 on June 25 of this year.
The two pleaded guilty to reckless homicide, reckless endangerment, and aggravated assault after shooting and killing a 45-year-old man and injuring a 19-year-old woman.
The AP report states the two have been sentenced to juvenile prison.
By Thomas Layton, GameSpot [POSTED: 08/28/03 05:08 PM]

From Gamespot

Hobot · Post by **Hobot** » 2003-09-04 08:27am

Our need to blame other things/people is very unfortunate.

Nathan F · Post by **Nathan F** » 2003-09-04 09:12am

This story was all over the local news here in TN. Like the article says, these kids SAY they were immitating the game, not some 'watchdog' group. Of course, it isn't the game's fault, it is their fault for having screwed up brains, so screwed up they think they could get away with shooting cars on the interstate because they saw it in a game. Fricking morons...

RedImperator · Post by **RedImperator** » 2003-09-04 09:18am

Why should marriages ruined by Everquest be seen any differently from marriages ruined by golf, football, or model trains? Some people get so caught up in their hobbies they neglect what's important. Gee whiz, there's a fucking revelation, huh--people sometimes have their priorities screwed up. Good thing we've got Spouses Against Everquest to tell us this, or nobody EVER would have fucking figured that out.

Xenophobe3691 · Post by **Xenophobe3691** » 2003-09-04 10:28am

It's just like guns.

Guns don't kill people, people kill people! Society right now has this need to blame something else when something goes wrong, instead of blaming the real fault. Themselves. It's like we've lost the ability to critique and improve ourselves, in lieu of the easier option, just blaming someone else for our squalor and misery.

Keevan_Colton · Post by **Keevan_Colton** » 2003-09-04 11:20am

Vorlon, you need to remember it isnt exactly like guns....because there is the valid point that having a gun does make it easier for people to kill other people....more so than a model train or an everquest CD

RedImperator · Post by **RedImperator** » 2003-09-04 11:27am

Keevan_Colton wrote:Vorlon, you need to remember it isnt exactly like guns....because there is the valid point that having a gun does make it easier for people to kill other people....more so than a model train or an everquest CD

The point remains, though. There's a trend in this society to blame inanimate objects for the actions of their possessors. Yes, guns are dangerous, but the deeper problem is the number of people who care so little about their fellow man that they use them to kill, and their apologists who rush to blame anything they can for their actions besides their own moral bankrupcy.

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2003-09-04 06:50pm

Vorlon1701 wrote:It's just like guns.

Guns don't kill people, people kill people! Society right now has this need to blame something else when something goes wrong, instead of blaming the real fault. Themselves. It's like we've lost the ability to critique and improve ourselves, in lieu of the easier option, just blaming someone else for our squalor and misery.

"Society" does not do this; a few loony extremists do this, and everybody seizes upon the opportunity to jump on the bandwagon and bash them so they feel good about themselves.

How many people seriously blame the game rather than the gameplayer? This kind of shit only happens in significant quantity when there's a religious component (eg- blaming pornography for sexual assault), and in that case, most people don't jump on the "personal responsibility" bandwagon because they have trouble shaking the religiously motivated bullshit claim that the two are related.

Xenophobe3691 · Post by **Xenophobe3691** » 2003-09-04 07:10pm

Darth Wong wrote:"Society" does not do this; a few loony extremists do this, and everybody seizes upon the opportunity to jump on the bandwagon and bash them so they feel good about themselves.

How many people seriously blame the game rather than the gameplayer? This kind of shit only happens in significant quantity when there's a religious component (eg- blaming pornography for sexual assault), and in that case, most people don't jump on the "personal responsibility" bandwagon because they have trouble shaking the religiously motivated bullshit claim that the two are related.

I don't know about Canada, but down here in Rich Boy Boca people blame everyone but themselves for something going wrong. I see it every day. I speak to them all, not one person has ever just sat back and analyzed what's wrong. I am deeply indebted to my dad for teaching me that skill.

How many people seriously blame the game? More than you'd believe. I played this game. I know the evils of it. And whenever I talk to others, all they think about when they hear about this game is "It kills! It ruins lives! It ruins marriages!"

And I've never seen anyone blame porn for sexual assault. Then again, I grew up in a damn sexually tolerant household.

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2003-09-04 07:19pm

Vorlon1701 wrote:I don't know about Canada, but down here in Rich Boy Boca people blame everyone but themselves for something going wrong. I see it every day. I speak to them all, not one person has ever just sat back and analyzed what's wrong. I am deeply indebted to my dad for teaching me that skill.

Rich people are a special case; they do not understand personal responsibility because "paying for your mistakes" just means "signing things" for them. It does not mean genuine sacrifice.

How many people seriously blame the game? More than you'd believe. I played this game. I know the evils of it. And whenever I talk to others, all they think about when they hear about this game is "It kills! It ruins lives! It ruins marriages!"

They say the same thing about alcohol. To a certain extent, it's sort of a figure of speech to blame alcohol for the alcoholic.

And I've never seen anyone blame porn for sexual assault. Then again, I grew up in a damn sexually tolerant household.

You've never seen anyone blame porn for sexual assault and you live in the USA? I've seen that on your TV networks!

Xenophobe3691 · Post by **Xenophobe3691** » 2003-09-04 07:29pm

Darth Wong wrote: They say the same thing about alcohol. To a certain extent, it's sort of a figure of speech to blame alcohol for the alcoholic.

It's PR like this that got Marijuana banned from the U.S. and Alcohol prohibited. I just don't like seeing people fall over the same stone thrice.

You've never seen anyone blame porn for sexual assault and you live in the USA? I've seen that on your TV networks!

My family isn't very much into TV. We read books, and we're considered weird. I have a TV in my room, haven't touched it since moving day two weeks ago. I have a small library of books that I'm burning through, however

Lord Pounder · Post by **Lord Pounder** » 2003-09-05 06:41pm

I put all this at the Blameless Society TM that western Civilisation has developed. These days no one is a jerk, they can blame TV, Radio, Movies, Games, Music and Drink/Drugs. No longer as any man or woman responcible for his actions. It's soft spined bull shit and i hate what society is becoming.

Typhonis 1 · Post by **Typhonis 1** » 2003-09-06 12:27am

what the hell were a 13 yr old and a 16 yr old doing playing Grand Theft Auto??? You need to be 17 to buy the damn game .

Post by **Sea Skimmer** » 2003-09-06 12:39am

Darth Wong wrote: You've never seen anyone blame porn for sexual assault and you live in the USA? I've seen that on your TV networks!

Personally Inever have, nor have I ever heard of anyone making such a claim, outside of a few statements made by you. Me thinks should opinions are held by very few.

darthdavid · Post by **darthdavid** » 2003-09-06 12:39am

Only in stores that chose to go by that policiy (atleast in NY where i live), It's optional on the stores part. Anyway, this is why i hate people. I'm not 17 but i'm stable enough to play any damn game and not kill someone "because" of it. But i can't because all the damn stores choose to enforce that poloicy and... You know what? I give up. It's pointless. I'm tired, hungry and pissed because i can't get at the damn m rated games and these physcos can. So i give up.

Joe · Post by **Joe** » 2003-09-06 12:43am

Sea Skimmer wrote:
Darth Wong wrote: You've never seen anyone blame porn for sexual assault and you live in the USA? I've seen that on your TV networks!
Personally Inever have, nor have I ever heard of anyone making such a claim, outside of a few statements made by you. Me thinks should opinions are held by very few.

I know exactly what he's talking about, unfortunately.

Xenophobe3691 · Post by **Xenophobe3691** » 2003-09-06 02:05am

Durran Korr wrote:
Sea Skimmer wrote:
Darth Wong wrote: You've never seen anyone blame porn for sexual assault and you live in the USA? I've seen that on your TV networks!
Personally Inever have, nor have I ever heard of anyone making such a claim, outside of a few statements made by you. Me thinks should opinions are held by very few.
I know exactly what he's talking about, unfortunately.

I personally have never seen it either. Then again, I live in a pretty liberal part of the South...

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2003-09-06 02:26am

Try a Google search on the keywords "pornography rape" and look at the hits that come up. They're not all just fundie kooks either; we're talking about qualified sociologists, psychologists, etc.

Peregrin Toker · Post by **Peregrin Toker** » 2003-09-06 02:33am

Darth Wong wrote:Try a Google search on the keywords "pornography rape" and look at the hits that come up. They're not all just fundie kooks either; we're talking about qualified sociologists, psychologists, etc.

Actually, I'll say that in some cases of this tendency, the fundie kooks are in the minority here.

Asst. Asst. Lt. Cmdr. Smi · Post by **Asst. Asst. Lt. Cmdr. Smi** » 2003-09-06 12:43pm

Typhonis 1 wrote:what the hell were a 13 yr old and a 16 yr old doing playing Grand Theft Auto??? You need to be 17 to buy the damn game .

Do you think their parents care about that "M" rating? There are parents out there buying the game for their pre-teen children! Is say in cases like that, parental irresponsibility is almost as much to blame as a serious lack of personal responsibility.

Perhaps these "Blame the video game" people don't realize that millions of people, even some under 17, have played the game and didn't go steal a car or shoot someone not much later.

2000AD · Post by **2000AD** » 2003-09-06 05:03pm

I think a quote from a recent gamespy articlegives my opinion on the "Computer games are EVIL!!!!!!" argument thing:

Right after Columbine, I had been approached (or "pre-interviewed" as they call it) by the ABC network for my views about the "violent game" connection and claims by "experts" that games "rewire" the players' brains to shoot better and be more efficient killers. After he laid out his plans for the story, I offered the correspondent an example that I felt would debunk that theory:

"Let's say you sit down at a computer or game console and play a baseball game. As you play it more, you get better at hitting because you're analyzing the pitcher's moves, the shadow on the playfield, and so on. Now, go to a batting cage and I doubt you'll be a better hitter in a real situation from having played a baseball video game. Yes, there may be an improvement in hand/eye coordination, but playing computer baseball doesn't make you a better "real" baseball player. If that were the case, professional baseball would be filled with game-playing nerds. "

Not surprisingly, I wasn't asked to be part of the news story that was broadcast on ABC TV

Joe · Post by **Joe** » 2003-09-06 09:48pm

Idiots. You can't even use a shotgun to do driveby shootings in Grand Theft Auto!

StarDestroyer.Net BBS

Games to Blame?

Games to Blame?

Videogames once again blamed